What Are the Five Basics of Project Management?

A useful answer is to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, then close the project. These are commonly described as the five project management process groups. They are a management framework, not a fixed list of five construction trades or five consecutive site stages.

1. Initiate

Agree why the project exists, who sponsors it and what result is needed. For a building project, this includes the first brief, feasibility questions, stakeholders, constraints and the authority to proceed. If the owner cannot explain the desired function and decision pathway, later drawings may solve the wrong problem.

2. Plan

Set out scope, programme, budget, procurement, risk, quality, communication and responsibilities. A real plan names the information and approvals needed before work can begin. It also identifies long-lead items and constraints, such as operating hours in a live school or hospital.

3. Execute

Coordinate the people and work needed to deliver the plan. Designers issue information, procurement is carried out and the contractor organises construction. Execution does not mean that all planning stops; the plan is refined as facts become clearer.

4. Monitor and control

Compare progress with the agreed scope, programme and cost. Track changes, risks, quality issues and decisions; report what needs action. This work happens alongside execution, rather than starting only when construction is nearly complete.

5. Close

Check completion obligations, defects, training, approvals, records, warranties and financial closeout. The owner needs an asset that can be used and maintained, not just a statement that the site works have ended.

The Project Management Institute uses these process groups as a way to organise management work. The actual design and construction sequence varies by project and contract. See our separate guide to the stages of construction for a building-focused view.

Sources and further reading

• Project Management Institute — project management process groups
• Australian Institute of Architects — project brief